370 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. fession a divine and a preacher, but whether he took orders according to the church of England, which he always scrupled, doth not appear. However, these scruples, by some means or other, he overcame. For, though he had been ordained in one of the foreign reformed churches, he was required to be re-ordained before he could be admitted to a benefice, in England ; and, accordingly, submitted to the renewal of this ceremony under the hands of Bishop Hall of Exeter.: Mr. Dury was for many years employed in 'a design of promoting a reconciliation between the Calvinists and Lutherans abroad; or, as he used to express it, "for making and settling a protestant union and peace in the churches beyond the seas." We shall give an account of this object, in the words of one who warmly censures both Mr. Dury and his undertaking. " He made a remarkable figure in his time, by running with an enthusiastic zeal for uniting the Lutherans andCalvinists. Hewas so strongly possessed with the hopes of success, that he applied to his superiors for a dispensation of nonresidence upon his living, in order to travel through the christian world to accomplish the design. And he not only procured a license for the pur- pose, but obtained the approbation and recommendation of the Archbishop of Canterbury,t andwas assisted by Bishop Hall, and the Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland.§ He began by publishing his plan of an union in 1634; and, the same year, appeared at a famous assembly of Lutherans at Frankfort in Germany. The churches also of Transylvania sent him their advice and counsel the same year ; and he afterwards negociated with the divines of Sweden and Denmark. He directed his attention to every quarter. He consulted the universities, communicated their answers, and was not discouraged by the ill success which he met with. He con erred with the learned divines in most of the places on the continent, and obtained their approbation of his design. His project, however, was much ridiculed: Wood's Athena Oxon. vol. i. p. 849, 850. Prynne's Cant. Doome, p. 390. t Archbishop Laud made mention ofthis circumstance at his trial. But although he at first espoused Mr. Dury's undertaking, he appears afterwards to have thrown some difficulties in the way.-Lbid. p. 539, 541.. § Bishop Bedell of Kilmore, w ho loved to bring men into the com- munion of the church of England, but did not like compelling them, was of opinion, that protestanfs would agree well enough if they could he brought to understand each other. lie was therefore induced to promote Mr. bury's design, and, towards defraying the expenses of which, he sub- acribed twenty pounds a year.--Biog. Briton. vol. ii. p. 136. Edit.-1779.
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